Westbank mother of 10 does all she can, but Christmas not looking very bright

Her oldest child, 20-year-old Janiese, "has been a trooper," working and assisting with care of the other children, ages 16 months to 16 years old

To say the past few months have been a struggle
for Rachelle would be a massive understatement. Because of several outstanding
traffic tickets her husband couldn't afford to pay, he was incarcerated,
leaving the Westbank mother alone to take care of 10 children by herself. That
has proved to be a challenge she has not been able to do alone with a job at a
fast-food restaurant.

Since October, her family has been living in
a homeless shelter in Jefferson Parish. Rachelle says they have little hope of
leaving there until her husband is set free, and she isn't sure when that will
be.

Her oldest child, 20-year-old Janiese, "has
been a trooper," working and assisting with care of the other children, ages 16
months to 16 years old.

"There are a lot of things I have had to get
accustomed to," Rachelle said. "We can't wait to move back into a home when my
husband comes out. Oh yes. The extra help and the extra income will help a
whole lot. ...

"The little ones don't really understand this
for the most part. This has been really tough on all of us, especially the
teenagers. At some point, reality sets in."

As far as the holidays are concerned, she
said she will do her best to get each of her children a Christmas gift, but
isn't sure if it will be possible. There simply isn't any cash to spare.

"You'd think that with 10 kids, I'd have at
least bought one gift by now, but I haven't," Rachelle said. "I'm really going
to try to find a way to get them something. I can only go so far with what we
have. That's pretty much how we're doing it right now."

For the 117th
year, The Times-Picayune's Doll &
Toy Fund will try to make the season a
bit merrier for struggling families, like Rachelle's, in the New Orleans metro
area with toy distribution for underprivileged children. This year's event will
take place on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Delgado Community College, City Park campus,
building 22. It is there where every
child under 12 will receive a toy, a snack bag and a picture with Santa, which
is being provided by private and corporate donations.

The fund accepts
contributions of cash, checks or money orders (not toys), and donations, which
can be sent to The Times-Picayune Doll and Toy Fund, P.O. Box 61065, New
Orleans, LA 70161-9979. For more information, call 504.826.3622 or email dtfund@timespicayune.com.

Rachelle's family is being assisted by Catholic Charities
Archdiocese of New Orleans, an agency with 40 programs and two affiliated
ministries delivering health and human services to the underprivileged and
vulnerable. Catholic Charities serves the homeless, hungry, the elderly,
at-risk youth, pregnant women, individuals with developmental delays, and many
more. For more information, visit www.ccano.org.